The damp streets howled with the rushing wind, the dark clouds swimming closer over to the city. The moonlight dampened, and the starry sky being overshadowed by the cotton clouds. Shifting through these alleys was a tall figure, a hood over his face, covering his appearance.
Krasius silently looked around the corner, seeing a single sign across the pathway, engraved across the wooden sign was "SALLY". He pushed against the brass handled door, the bells clinging from the corners, and being welcomed with an Old Lady sitting behind a counter.
"Give me information on the Diovo Familia" Krasius bluntly said.
"I will need a day to gather all the information, possibly two days." she stood up, moving closer to the face of Krasius. Putting up four fingers in front of his face.
"I will need at least this much, it is a risky request." The Old Lady continued exposing a wide smile.
"No problem" Krasius replied, reaching towards his pockets, gathering coins, then letting them clatter over the oak counter. He slowly walked away towards the door, pausing slightly as he saw the assortment of paintings scattered over the ceiling wall.
The Old Lady sat back down, reaching for the pipe across the counter, igniting it with a quick snap of her fingers.
"Kill them all Krasius, Leila was a good mother."
Krasius merely nodded as he left with the sound of bells ringing.
………………………………………………………
A disheveled man held a whiskey bottle in his palms, standing against the windows, he seemed to be staring straight into the abyss. He turned around to see a figure kneeling before him, a mask-wearing figure, its body being enshrouded in a shade of shadows.
“Have you found him?”
“I lost him, Master, I followed him after his mother's funeral, I sent my elite men to pursue him closely as well; however, it was pointless, he disappeared.
Throwing the bottle straight towards the opposite side of the room, his face was haggard as he sat down near a chair beside him.
“How is my son, Trev?”
“He is being guarded by the swordsmith, Jaque.”
“Are we sure about the reports? Can he manifest two swords at will?
“He has already shown us, and two of my men have died to prove his skills. He is without a doubt a powerful Climber.”
“Tell Mr.Sy, I appreciate his help in connecting me with this Climber.”
“I have already done so Master, he told me to send his regards to Marcelli Diovo. He hopes to be rewarded properly in the future.”
Marcelli thought that he would do so if he could avert this crisis, he feared that his family would not live for long.
He closed his eyes, attempting to fall into slumber. Yet he could only see the man’s daggers at his throat, slitting it open as blood flowed out and as his eyes slowly lost their light. He opened it slowly, hoping this nightmare would finally end.
“I am waiting for you Krasius.” Marcelli mumbled softly.
…………………………………………………
A small apartment near the Axis Elevator, there was the ever-flowing movement of people scattering inside, everyone trying to get to their destination. In the Tower, there were many lower divisions, these were considered one of the types of safe areas inside. Across these lower divisions, there was the Axis Elevator that was used to transport merchandise and goods to cities across the Tower. It only worked for these lower divisions, which was where the Tower allowed its people to grow and learn in order to battle its trials. There were no trials in these lower divisions, they were considered a free zone for people to enjoy living in. Usually, a Climber that has retired will be able to claim one of the cities in the lower divisions. However, this was usually allowed for only the Elite Climbers that were recognized by the Champions of the races who deserved such respect.
Inside the lit apartment room, there was a young man with a woman in his arms, and a battle in his fingertips. His face was red, and he hiccuped between every few words as he spoke to the woman.
“I will one day be a young lord, just Hic! Just watch me, Sharina, I will become a Climber, and all will bow before me!”
He started raising his bottle, acting like it was mighty sword like Excalibur slicing his foes before him, holding her in his arms as if he was rescuing his princess.
Sharina silently thought he could never be a Climber, he lacked the wit of even the average man out in the streets, and she had never even seen him hold a sword in his hands. He was merely a drunkard failure of a large Mafioso family in her opinion.
“Of course you will, my Hero.” Sharina said giggling with an alluring smile.
She wondered how much longer it would take before this idiot finally proposed to her. While he was useless, he was a man needed for her dreams.
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“I… I will be a Champion of the human race!”
A figure suddenly opening the door, light sneaking inside the room. His footsteps silent as it treated the creaky wooden floors. There were two swords on his body, one on each of his waist, and he wore a grim expression that matched his black plate armor.
“I'd be surprised if you could even shit by yourself kid.” Jaque said filled with contempt.
“What are you doing here, I thought you were hunting that assassin!”
Jaque’s eyes swept across the room, finally peering down on their bodies. His eyes finally falling towards the lower area of the young man.
“Sorry little miss looks like you will be needing to finish by yourself tonight.”
Sharina slightly exposing a smile as Trev pulled up the covers to protect himself. He started to stare down the man in front of him. He started to then remember what his father said, to not offend this man working for them, he was dangerous.
“Tell me, little boy, how good is this assassin of yours?”
Slowly calming himself down, Trev didn’t think of himself as an idiot. He knew he couldn’t offend this person before him, so he replied with a respectful tone.
“I am not sure, my father told me he has killed Climbers before though, and that his specialty is using daggers.”
Jaque preparing to reply suddenly paused for a moment, he started positioning the sheath of his sword, angling it as he his right hand laid on the hilt of his sword.
“He is here.”
He started moving towards Trev, pushing him towards the window, telling him to jump outside.
“Are you insane? I can’t jump that, besides I didn’t hear anything.”
“Just do it, jump, before he comes here.”
“I will…….BOOM.”
The floor starting to crumble as the three of them slowly dropped towards the middle, slowly falling in tandem with the rubble. Coming closer to crush, until Jaque holding his sword brought it out from its sheath.
“Zaigen, let thy blood flow from edged steel, manifest!”
His sword clutched between his forefingers started glowing a dark red. His sword suddenly extending as it swished through air, breezing through rubble, bit by bit breaking through this endless chaos of gravel. The sea of rubble seemed to divide a path for him.
As he fell down on the uneven ground, mist seemed to arise from the ground, enshrouding his body with an icy coldness. Bullet seemingly appear from his back, his sword immediately extending and bending its way to his back, blood seemingly to drop from his the tip of his fingers. Jaque immediately thought of finding his client, but he let go of the idea, feeling his hair standing up in anticipation of his enemy.
“Interesting, so your sword uses your blood and freely shapes and bends itself to protect you. Not bad.”
A deep voice seemed to pervade through the area.
“Have you killed the little brat?” Jaque questioned in an attempt to stall for time to locate the location of his hunter.
“I haven’t, but do you think he would have survived this?” Krasius replied with a sarcastic tone.
Jaque sheathing his sword, positioning his body in a drawing stance, his feet sliding down against the gravel. His muscles tightened, tensing to form large muscles all over his body, his hand tightening around his hilt then swiftly being drawn.
A slash made of blood glided through the mist, aiming directly at a building opposite to him. Jaque slowly relaxing itself, returning to his original stance, holding his sword above his his head before finally sheathing it back to his sword. Turning around to leave the vicinity, the mist dissipating, while he was thinking about the reward he would receive for killing this man.
Suddenly blood started to spread through the shirt under his armour, twisting his neck around, he saw a dagger embedded at his back. The dagger placed between the chinks in his armour.
“I bet you’re wondering, how did it get there?
Jaque grabbing the dagger at his back, instantly pulled it out of his body, blood oozing as he took it out. Jaque pondered it over his head as he drew his sword in one fluid motion pointing towards the demon in front of him. He realized from the force applied on his body that it was not thrown. It was pulled.
His enemy stood in front of him, the wire connecting the dagger seemed to have been placed behind him, he must have reeled back the wire, hence the dagger coming from his back.
“Is that all?”
Krasius smiled as a small revolver appeared in his palms, his fingertips pulling the trigger as the bullet revolved inside and shot forward.
Jaque swiftly drawing his sword, quickly chanting.
“Zaigen, let thy blood flow from edged steel, manifest!”
Blood seemingly to flow through the blade, it’s form shifting straight towards the bullet directed towards him. As the blood of the blade came into contact to the bullet, it seemed to disintegrate at touch.
“Tak Tak.”
Penetrating through the blood, the bullet finally reach the chest of Jaque. His body slowly falling down onto the gravel. His chest slowly being filled with blood, his breathing growing difficult.
“Soul weapon?” Jaque asked slowly, enunciating each letter with difficulty.
Krasius walking slowly towards him, staring below him, his eyes full of pity.
“Mana Distortion Bullet. It’s an invention by a friend of mine, how else can I penetrate the Mana that surrounds the Climbers body. Though it has many conditions to use it.”
Krasius bent forward, coming closer to the dying body below him.
“If you used your sword to block, it would not have passed through, it was only because the blood manifested by your sword is made entirely of Mana.”
The man below him seemingly to ponder for a moment, comprehending his mistake.
“Your daggers?”
“All a trick, how can a low-rank Climber’s equipment suddenly allow me to kill a few Climbers, at most it could scratch them, like I did to you.”
“I see.” Jaque’s eyes slowly losing its shine, his breathing suddenly then stopping.
“Be at peace.” Krasius said, putting his hands over his face to close the man’s eyes.
He then stood there for a few moments, waiting.
…………………………………………
Krasius laid his hands on the sword of Jaque, sheathing the sword, then putting it over his waist. Looking over at the other sword by the man’s side, he merely sighed. He had looked over it already, it was clear that it was a broken spirit sword, it would be too hard for its soul to be ignited.
“The information was right, he could only manifest one sword. Looks like I have the perfect gift for an old friend though.”
Krasius then slyly left the premises, the destruction of this building would be noticed easily by the populace and its guards. Krasius decided it be safer to not remain here even though the battle ended quickly.
He thought about searching for that bastard’s body, but he knew he didn’t have much time left before the Guards of the city came here, it would bring even trouble for him and he might not be able to escape against such people.
………………………………………………….
The rubble began to shake, gravel beginning to fall away to the ground, beneath it lay two bodies. One was a man, his legs and feet completely crushed, his eyes already blank, and his face stained with blood. The woman’s breathing could be heard, her eyes full of fire, while her hands pushed away stones at her path.
She slowly crawled her way out of the rubble, across her face was smudged by blood, her body filled with wounds and scratches.
“I won't die! I can’t die!”
Sharina moving slowly inch by inch, moving further and further, her heart refusing for its body to die. Her eyes slowly becoming blank, he movement getting slower, finally her body dropped on the ground. Her vision slowly fading, seeing only the tip of a hilt laid in front of her, she saw it glowing a shade of blue before she finally fell into darkness.